Southbridge School Committee chairwoman quits

SOUTHBRIDGE — Saying she considered quitting the school board two weeks ago amid concerns from fellow members about her leadership, Chairwoman Patricia Woodruff resigned from the panel Tuesday.

Reading from a statement, the nine-year member and second-year chairman said politics had overtaken the committee's true mission.

"There seems to be a prevailing opinion of the current majority of the School Committee that (problems) would be cured by my absence. While I do not share this opinion, I feel it is only fair to our children, who should be the focus of our actions, to allow the majority to have their way."

Ms. Woodruff, 48, said she hoped her "gesture" would encourage the members to put the focus on the community's youth.

Late Wednesday, Ms. Woodruff delivered her resignation letter to the town clerk's staff.

In an interview, Ms. Woodruff singled out committee members Tanja Dominko, Jill Congdon and Erin Quinney as wanting to have her removed as chairwoman.

Ms. Congdon said she had no reaction to the resignation, and told a reporter to talk to Vice Chairwoman Lauren McLoughlin. Ms. McLoughlin, Ms. Quinney and Ms. Dominko did not return phone messages.

Ms. Woodruff said it was evident the committee didn't trust her and thought she didn't share information up front.

"I was being told a committee member was telling the public that I was a liar," Ms. Woodruff said. "And they kept telling people they were going to oust me. I can't deal with that stuff."

Ms. Woodruff explained that members have been upset with her ever since she declined to put survey material on a meeting agenda. She said it hadn't been voted on in a subcommittee.

"They brought it up to be on the agenda, so I backed up and gave the gavel over to the vice chairman because I didn't want to be a part of it, because I wasn't 100 percent sure we were breaking the Open Meeting Law or not," Ms. Woodruff said.

Ms. Woodruff said she sought a still-pending legal ruling on the matter.

But she said the other members wanted to edit what Ms. Woodruff had told the lawyer.

"I didn't give them that information because I didn't have to, so they got mad," she said.

Ms. Woodruff said one of the other members wanted to be chairwoman in July, but that member didn't push for it.

Ms. Congdon and Ms. Quinney told Ms. Woodruff they didn't think Ms. Woodruff should be chairman because her three children attend Catholic school, according to Ms. Woodruff.

Ms. Woodruff said she thought she did a good job as chairman during tumult last year. The district's previous superintendent resigned amid complaints of misconduct that forced him into a leave of absence; the former middle-high school principal was fired, and the business manager, who served briefly as acting superintendent, resigned.

Ms. Woodruff said she refused to step down as chairman no matter how many times the majority tried to oust her.

But she said she didn't want to take the chance of having a dysfunctional committee or losing Superintendent Basan Nembirkow and going backward.

After receiving additional e-mails from the upset members during the past two weeks, she said, she resolved it was time to leave.

Although he was not part of what he said was any disgruntled subgroup, Dr. Thomas E. O'Leary of the committee described Ms. Woodruff's leadership style as "rigid."

With the new middle-high school building and recent changes in administrative leadership and teachers, Dr. O'Leary said, the focus needed to remain on schoolchildren.

A special meeting was set for Wednesday night to go over the committee's goals, roles and protocols.

Ms. Woodruff said she believed the meeting's real motive was to "chew" her out and dispose of her as chairman.

Now that she's gone, the committee will hold a reorganization session to pick new leadership, then work with town councilors to appoint a replacement member.